Career Planning

Advisors and mentors play an essential role in guiding students through medical school. Workshops, discussion groups, activities and meetings with mentors and faculty members take place throughout all four years. These activities are designed to facilitate the career planning process and provide guidance from a student’s first day through the residency application process and the Match.
Student Advising
Primary Advisors
Upon matriculation, each student is assigned a Primary Advisor who is available to provide support and information, as well as to guide discussions on academic progress, career and student wellness. Primary Advisors are connected to the student’s assigned Professionalism, Communication and Reflection group, and students are required to set up at least two formal advising sessions each year.
Specialty Advisors
In January of the third year, students choose a Specialty Advisor in the specialty of their choice. This Specialty Advisor assists with the fourth year elective selection and the residency application process.
Peer Support
Big Sib Program: Each first-year medical student is matched with a student from the second-year class who serves as a friend, mentor, information source, and support system.
Peer Support Student Interest Group: Contact Student Affairs for more information or see Student Interest Groups.
Career Advising
Choosing a medical specialty is one of the most significant decisions a medical student will make. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has developed an outstanding program, Careers in Medicine, to help with this process. Across all four years of medical school, there are tools to help students identify career goals, explore specialty and practice options and choose a specialty, as well as select and apply to residency programs when the time come. The Careers in Medicine program is structured to support medical students through a four-step career planning process:
- Understanding yourself
- Exploring your options
- Choosing a specialty
- Getting into residency
If students are interested in pursuing residency within the state of Vermont, students can visit the Vermont Department of Health Agency of Human Services Board of Medical Practice Licensing website to explore the Vermont licensure process and requirements.
Getting Started and Helpful Resources:
- Learn more about AAMC Careers in Medicine: Log in to your account (Note: Use your AAMC user name and password, which is the same information you have used for AMCAS, MCAT, and programs that use the AAMC Login.).
- Connect with Alumni in your area of interest with the Alumni Directory.
- Curriculum Vitae resources:
- Read the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society's monograph, Medical Professionalism: Best Practices (available online and in PDF format)